Ali family set for solemn trip home to Louisville

LOUISVILLE: The family of boxing legend Muhammad Ali prepared to accompany his body on the journey back to his hometown Louisville, ahead of a public funeral procession and service expected to draw huge crowds in honor of "The Greatest."

Former president Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal are among those due to speak Friday at a memorial in a huge arena in the Kentucky city where Ali -- a three-time world heavyweight champion -- grew up and threw his first punches.

The charismatic Ali, a dazzling fighter and outspoken civil rights activist who became one of the 20th century's most towering figures, died on Friday at age 74 after health problems complicated by a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

"Our hearts are literally hurting. But we are happy daddy is free now," one of Ali's nine children, daughter Hana, wrote on Twitter.

It was not immediately clear when they would travel. A family spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer told reporters that the city -- whose residents have left flowers, balloons and tributes at Ali's childhood home -- was ready for a massive celebration to honor its most famous son.

"The Champ was a supernatural figure who crossed all kinds of boundaries, from athletics to arts, to humanitarian activities, from black to white, from Christians to Islam, and he belongs to the world," Fischer said.

After a small family funeral on Thursday, Ali's coffin will be transported Friday through the streets of Louisville, before a private burial and the public interfaith memorial service at the KFC Yum! Center.

The procession has been organized to "allow anyone that is there from the world to say goodbye," family spokesman Bob Gunnell told reporters.

Later Sunday, interfaith services were planned at Louisville's Islamic Center, which invited citizens to "join hands in unity to celebrate the life" of Ali.

The official cause of Ali's death was septic shock due to unspecified natural causes.

Gunnell said Ali had sought medical attention for a cough, but his condition rapidly deteriorated. He was admitted to a hospital in the Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale, where he had lived for several years with his wife Lonnie.